On New Mexico’s primary election day, in almost triple-digit heat, former state Senator Dede Feldman stood outside an Albuquerque middle school with a signature-filled clipboard in hand. It’s not uncommon to see people gathering signatures outside of polling locations for various political efforts. But Feldman wasn’t there to get anyone elected. The former four-term lawmaker, shaded by a wide brimmed hat, was collecting signatures to get a public campaign finance initiative on the ballot in November for Albuquerque voters.

One of the less-surprising moments on Tuesday was when U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham won the Democratic primary for governor. A recent Albuquerque Journal poll showed Lujan Grisham more than 40 points ahead of former television executive and son of a past New Mexico governor, Jeff Apodaca. On Tuesday night, election numbers showed Lujan Grisham with more than 60 percent of the vote against Apodaca and state Sen.

As last-minute attacks swirl and campaigns shift efforts to get voters to the polls, candidates filed their final campaign finance reports before the Tuesday primary election.

U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham once again led the way in fundraising, and she also spent the most money out of all four gubernatorial candidates in the most recent campaign finance period, which spanned from May 8 to May 29.

This weekend, NM Political Report sat down with Congressman Ben Ray Luján for an interview. Luján was back in the state, a day after voting against the Farm Bill, which failed because conservative Republicans and Democrats voted against the proposal.

Luján is the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, an organization devoted to electing Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives.

New Mexico In Depth is speaking with the candidates for New Mexico governor on the issues of early childhood, child wellbeing and education. Michelle Lujan Grisham is the congresswoman from Albuquerque, and is one of three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

Sylvia Ulloa: Can you lay out what early childhood education would look like in New Mexico under your administration, and how you would get early childhood to rural New Mexico?

Joe Cervantes took off the gloves in the gubernatorial race and is airing an ad attacking apparent Democratic frontrunner Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The ads target Lujan Grisham for some of her votes while in Congress and contracts a company she ran received from the state. The ad also refers to her as “Grisham” instead of her full last name, Lujan Grisham.

Victor Reyes, a spokesman for Lujan Grisham’s campaign, called the ad “ridiculous and full of falsehoods.”

The votes were regarding rolling back parts of the Affordable Care Act.

New Mexico In Depth is speaking with the candidates for New Mexico governor on the issues of early childhood, child wellbeing and education in New Mexico. State Sen. Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces is one of three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination. He is a lawyer and small business owner in southern New Mexico. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

Sylvia Ulloa: What would early childhood education in New Mexico look like in a Cervantes administration?

]]>837730House candidates report how much they raised ahead of primaryhttp://nmpoliticalreport.com/837427/house-candidates-report-how-much-they-raised-ahead-of-primary/
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Some incumbent state Representatives are raising and spending big money to stave off competitors in the upcoming primaries. In other races, open seats are proving expensive for those seeking to replace legislators bowing out of another term at the Roundhouse.

The candidates filed campaign finance reports on Monday that showed their financial activity between April 3 and May 9.

Related: Dem Guv candidates raise big money as primary nears

Incumbents facing challengers in the primary

Once of the most-watched primaries is in House District 46 in northern New Mexico.

Two of the three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for governor have over $1.5 million cash on hand for the final stretch before the primary election on June 5. Early voting has already started.

State Sen. Joseph Cervantes has now loaned his own campaign over $2 million and raised only about $15,000 from others. He now has $1.65 million cash on hand.